Configurable System And Method For Managing Facilities

ABSTRACT

A system allowing a user to answer a series of questions to generate survey data, associating system data with the survey data to generate a highly accurate report. The user may, customize the survey by selecting categories corresponding to certain series of questions and be presented with a running total of costs associated with each selected action, a total cost for all selected actions, and an impact on the property FCI corresponding to the selected action. The report allows, for example, for targeted assessment of select facilities systems including a time frame within which work to be performed on select facilities systems and/or a cost associated with work to be performed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/875,518 filed Oct. 19, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for evaluatingfacilities condition and more specifically, to a customizable system andmethod for gathering comprehensive information on a facility or group offacilities to enable a user to make informed decisions relating to thefacilities by embedding professional expertise to impart knowledge to auser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Facilities managers face the daunting task of gathering informationrelating to the current condition of the facility and facilities systemsunder their management. Often, due to the overwhelming nature of thetask and relatively high level of knowledge required of the vast numberof facilities systems, facilities managers do not have an accuratepicture of the facilities and the condition of the facilities in theircare.

One of the goals of a facilities manager is to identify problems in atimely manner, remedy the identified problems at an early stage andproject capital budgets so as to extend the life cycle of the facility.To accomplish these tasks, facilities managers have traditionally reliedupon various calculations to manipulate Facilities ManagementInformation (FMI) to track costs and generate capital budgets for themaintenance and construction of facilities.

However, the facilities manager typically has had to compile informationin an ad hoc manner, for example, filling out paper questionnaires orcheck sheets related to certain buildings systems and entering theinformation into, for instance, a spread sheet program. Alternatively,facilities managers have had to hire outside engineers or otherprofessionals to come into the facility to provide a report on aparticular facility including the facilities system(s). However, it canbe expensive to hire professionals to come into a facility, do aninspection of a particular system and/or systems and then furnish areport on the condition and expected life of the particular system(s).Still further, some facilities managers have created their own system ofchecking certain facilities systems and have hired personnel withparticular expertise with certain systems.

All of these methods, however, are time-consuming and expensive and donot allow the facilities manager to obtain an accurate picture of thecurrent condition of a facilities systems in a cost-effective and timelymanner. In addition, the ad hoc information obtained by variousfacilities managers, while somewhat helpful, often is not complete noris it provided in an industry standard format. Therefore, if aprofessional firm is hired to analyze the current systems in thefacilities, often they must completely reevaluate the facilitiessystems.

Additionally, facilities managers for facilities utilized by governmentagencies and departments are often required to provide a building surveyreports designed to meet federal mandates. For example, some mandatesrequire government agencies and departments to collect and reportinformation on all real estate assets owned by the federal government.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

What is desired then is a system and method for providing accuratebuilding information to a facilities manager relating to facilitiessystems.

It is further desired to provide a system and method allowing a userwith limited knowledge of facilities systems to generate a relativelyaccurate report of the current facilities and/or facilities systems.

It is still further desired to provide a system and method for rapidlygenerating an accurate report of the current facilities systems as abasis for preparation of capital budgets for the maintenance andconstruction of facilities.

It is yet further desired to provide a system and method allowing a userwith limited knowledge to generate an accurate report of the currentcondition of facilities and their systems in a format that is anindustry standard.

It is still further desired to provide a system and method for allowinga user to quickly and easily generate a facilities report to comply withindustry requirements.

It is also desired to provide a system and method that allows a user togenerate a facilities report that includes only the particularbuilding/property surveys the user desires.

It is further desired to provide a system and method that allows a userto customize the facilities report to the specifics of the user'sspecific portfolio requirements.

These and other objects are achieved in one embodiment of the inventionby the provision of a system that presents a user with a facilitiessurvey comprising a series of questions related to various facilitiesand/or facilities systems. The user may, in one advantageous embodiment,access the facilities survey through a webpage with a computer via anetwork connection. A series of questions are categorized according tothe type of report the user desires to generate, the informationassociated with the particular report and by individual facility systemand are designed to guide the user to look for particularly relevantinformation to provide an accurate and informative facility report. Itshould be noted that the use of the term report may include among otherthings, numerous different types of information and data that may beaccessed by a user in virtually any format, whether in a printed format,or on computer or any other medium such that the information may beunderstood by a user. Additionally, the series of questions presented tothe user may be altered by the user. For example, rather than the userbeing presented with a full range of survey questions relating to manydiffering building/property systems, the user may select certaincategories or questions to answer to generate a report relating to aparticular system(s).

As used herein, the following definitions apply to the terms listed. Theterm “data” as used herein means any indicia, signals, marks, symbols,domains, symbol sets, representations, and any other physical form orforms representing information, whether permanent or temporary, whethervisible, audible, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagnetic orotherwise manifested. The term “data” as used to represent predeterminedinformation in one physical form shall be deemed to encompass any andall representations of the same predetermined information in a differentphysical form or forms.

The term “network” as used herein includes both networks andinternetworks of all kinds, including the Internet, and is not limitedto any particular network or inter-network.

The terms “coupled”, “coupled to”, and “coupled with” as used hereineach mean a relationship between or among two or more devices,apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems,subsystems, and/or means, constituting any one or more of (a) aconnection, whether direct or through one or more other devices,apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems,subsystems, or means, (b) a communications relationship, whether director through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media,components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, and/or (c) afunctional relationship in which the operation of any one or moredevices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks,systems, subsystems, or means depends, in whole or in part, on theoperation of any one or more others thereof.

The terms “first” and “second” are used to distinguish one element, set,data, object or thing from another, and are not used to designaterelative position or arrangement in time.

It should be noted that the term “facility” and “facilities” as usedherein are intended to include real estate and any improvements madethereon including, for example but not limited to, building(s),infrastructure associated with the building(s) whether inside or outsideof the buildings, roads, pathways, outdoors recreational areas andsystems associated therewith.

The terms “Facility Condition Index” or “(FCI)” as used herein is agrading system used to rate the condition of a facility with a rating of0.0 equating to a facility in perfect condition and ranging to a ratingof 1.0 where the cost to repair equals the cost to replace the facility.

The user may, in one advantageous embodiment depending upon the type ofreport desired, be presented with a series of questions relating to, forexample, a facility system and/or systems. The series of questions maybe related to a particular facility system, such as for example, thewindows in a building. The user performs a visual inspection of thewindows and then answers the questions presented by the system.Additional information relating to windows may already be input into thesystem. The additional information may include, for example, cost dataassociated with repair and or replacement of the windows. Alternatively,the additional information may include facilities system datainformation relating to the existing building system, such as anidentification of the type of window, manufacturer, model, quantity inthe building and previous and/or current condition, etc.

In the above example, the user is presented with a series of questionsby, for example, accessing an Internet webpage, the series of questionsrelating to the windows in a particular building. After inspecting thewindows, the user answers the series of questions, which are submittedto the system. The system based on the user's answers, associates knownfacilities system data and cost data with the submitted answers togenerate a report. The report may provide, for example, a current statusof the particular system, a description of the work to be accomplished,and an estimated cost to perform the work. The report may also include areplacement cost for the window(s), the quantity of windows needed, andthe removal and installation costs for the windows affected. It isfurther contemplated that the associated costs could also account forthe geographic location of the facilities as labor costs are known tovary from one geographic location to the next. Still further, theassociated costs could be updated in the system on a periodic basis.Additionally, the cost per unit may be dependent upon the total units tobe obtained. In this manner, a facilities manager is able to provide arelatively complete and accurate report despite having limited knowledgeof the facility or the systems associated with the facility as thesystem associates a wide array of expertise to the various systemquestions answered by the user. This is because specialized knowledgefor each system is associated with the questions related to each systemsuch that the user is provided with a report that draws on the expertknowledge of many systems experts. It is further contemplated that lifecycle data may be provided in the user, including for example, in thegenerated report. The life cycle data may include information including,but not limited to, identifying when the system(s) was installed,identifying any and/or all maintenance performed on the system(s) thatmay or may not affect the life cycle of the system, and informationrelating to an estimated end-of-life for the system. All of this lifecycle data may, in one advantageous embodiment, be provided to the userin a format selected by the user and/or provided in the facilitiesreport.

While the system may be used with many differing types of facilitieshaving one or more locations and one or more buildings on each location,in a preferred embodiment the system used for facilities havingbuildings with at least a minimum of 1,000,000 aggregated square feet.For example, this could include a single building comprising 1,000,000square feet or multiple buildings that when aggregated comprise1,000,000 square feet. It has been determined that the larger thefacility and subsequently that larger and/or more numerous theassociated system(s), the ability of the system to generate an even moreaccurate cost estimate increases.

It is further contemplated that the facilities report that is generatedcan provide an analysis of the facilities or building systems so as toprovide for a targeted assessment of various systems. For example, thereport can identify which systems are in need of immediate attentionidentifying a suggested priority in which the variously identifiedsystems could be addressed. The assessment could include, for example, atime frame within which work should to be performed on the particularfacilities system and/or a cost associated with the work to be performedon the particular facilities system and/or within the particular timeframe.

The facilities report generated by the system could further include anasset report. The asset report could comprise various informationrelated to the facilities including, for example, an identification ofthe property, a description of the type of property, a description ofhow the property is being used, a replacement value for the property, anassessment of the property utilization, and the FCI of the property.This report could also include a funding/FCI graph that illustratesfunding of a particular facility over time versus FCI, which graph mayfurther be customizable to allow for a variable number of years in theprojection.

Still further, the facilities report could include a compliance reportas is required, for example, by Government mandates. The compliancereport can provide all the information required by the federal mandateincluding, for example but not limited to, the facilities location, thefacilities description, the utilization of the facilities, the conditionof the facilities systems, and compliance and/or non-compliance withapplicable building codes.

It is further understood that the facilities report can include anyamount of information or be targeted to certain facilities systems asdesired by the user. For example, the system can allow the user to addor remove certain systems from a survey to include or exclude them fromthe facilities report. The system further allows the user to alter orrename systems as desired. Finally, the system also allows for copyingof existing system information to account for varying conditions andpriorities. This provides the specific benefit that end-users will havemore control over field data collection and the adding of buildingsystems on the fly will increase survey accuracy to provide enhancedplanning and reporting.

In one advantageous embodiment a method for generating a facilitiesreport is provided comprising the steps of generating a series ofquestions relating to various facilities, storing the series ofquestions on a storage accessible by a system computer and generatingand storing facility data selected from the group consisting ofcompliance data, facilities system data and combinations thereof, thatrelate to various facilities. The method further comprises the steps ofassociating the facility data with the series of questions, presentingthe series of questions to a user accessing a user computer coupled tothe system computer via a network connection and receiving survey datafrom the user, the survey data based on the user's responses to theseries of questions. Still further, the method further comprises thesteps of gathering facility data based on the survey data received fromthe user, generating a facilities report based on the survey data andthe gathered facility data and presenting the facilities report to theuser.

In another advantageous embodiment a system for generating a facilitiessystem report is provided comprising a system computer accessible by auser computer via a network connection and a facilities data storageaccessible by said system computer. The facilities data storage hasstored thereon a series of questions relating to various facilities andfacilities data selected from the group consisting of compliance data,facilities system data and combinations thereof, which relate to variousfacilities, where particular facilities data is associated withparticular questions of the series of questions. The system is providedsuch that the series of questions is presented to the user. The systemfurther comprises survey data received by the system computer, thesurvey data being based on the user's responses to the series ofquestions. The system still further comprises a facilities reportgenerated by the system computer and is based on the received surveydata and gathered facilities data associated with the survey data.

In still another advantageous embodiment a method for generating afacilities report is provided comprising the steps of generating aseries of questions relating to various facilities systems and storingthe series of questions on a storage accessible by a system computer.The method further comprises the steps of generating and storing costdata associated with particular facilities systems where the cost dataincludes labor costs and/or materials costs. The method still furthercomprises the steps of associating the cost data with the series ofquestions, presenting the series of questions to a user accessing a usercomputer coupled to the system computer via a network connection andreceiving survey data from the user, the survey data based on the user'sresponses to the series of questions. Finally, the method comprises thesteps of gathering cost data based on the survey data received from theuser and generating a facilities report based on the survey data and thegathered cost data.

In another advantageous embodiment a method for generating a facilitiesreport where facilities data is associated with a series of questionsrelating to various facilities and stored on a storage coupled to asystem computer is provided, the method comprising the steps ofpresenting the series of questions to a user accessing a user computercoupled to the system computer via a network connection and receivingsurvey data from the user, the survey data based on the user's responsesto the series of questions. The method further comprises the steps ofselecting facility data based on the survey data received from the userand generating a facilities report based on the survey data and theselected facility data.

In yet another advantageous embodiment a system for generating afacilities report is provided comprising a system computer, a usercomputer coupled to the system computer via a network connection and afacilities data storage accessible by the system computer. The system isprovided such that the facilities data storage has stored thereonfacilities data associated with a series of questions relating tovarious facilities systems. The system is further provided such that theseries of questions presented to the user. The system further comprisessurvey data received by the system computer and stored on the facilitiesdata storage, the survey data corresponding to the user's responses tothe series of questions and a facilities report generated by the systemcomputer, the facilities report generated based on the received surveydata and on certain facilities data corresponding to the received surveydata.

Other objects of the invention and its particular features andadvantages will become more apparent from consideration of the followingdrawings and accompanying detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the embodiment according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the embodiment according to FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are screen shots of the embodiment according to FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6-37 are screen shots of the embodiment according to FIG. 2.

FIGS. 38-40 are screen shots of various reports generated by the systemaccording to FIG. 2.

FIGS. 41 and 42 are screen shots depicting running action cost, runningsurvey cost and running survey FCI.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatecorresponding structure throughout the views.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an advantageous embodiment of the presentinvention depicting a system 100 for generating a report 110. A user 102accesses the system 100 with a computer (not shown). In one embodiment,the system 100 is accessed via a network connection such as, forexample, the Internet. The user 102 may be presented with a webpageallowing access to system 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4, the user 102 may be, for example, afacilities manager that accesses the system to generate a report 110relating to the facilities. Initially the user 102 will log-in 122 tosystem 100 to generate and/or input user information into a useraccount. Once completed, the user 102 may then input buildinginformation 126 relating to the facilities. This information mayinclude, for example but is not limited to, the name of the facility,the address, the type of facility, the quantity or number of buildings,the number of floors in the building, the area of the building, theowner of the facility, a description of use, historical information, theyear of construction and/or renovation, the architect and/orconstruction company, the replacement value and the FCI (FIG. 4), toname just a few of the many categories of information that may initiallybe input into system 100. This initial information may be stored in, forexample, user data storage 108 accessible by system 100.

Once this initial building information 126 is input into system 100,user 102 has the opportunity to view the assets 124 listed on thesystem. However, to provide a meaningful report on the facilities, theuser will need to gather and input additional information into system100 relating to the various buildings and facilities systems.

To that end, the user 102 may begin a comprehensive survey of thefacilities. It is contemplated that the user may select a survey type128, such as for example, inputting information relating to a particularsystem(s) or even select a survey level 130 including more or lessinformation in the initial survey and corresponding report to begenerated. Alternatively, the user 102 could proceed with a standardcomprehensive survey provided by system 100 to initially gather arelatively large amount of information on the facilities. To generate areport 110 directed toward, for example, the current condition of thefacilities systems, the user 102 is presented with a series of questions114 directed toward various systems in the facility. Examples of thequestions that may be presented to user 102 are depicted in screen shotsshown in FIGS. 5 through 37.

For example, the user 102 may initially be presented with Section 1.0Building Information 126, which lists general information relating to aparticular facility or building (FIG. 5). The user 102 has theopportunity to review and revise the listed information relating to thefacility and/or building from this page.

The user 102 may further be presented with Section 2.0Substructure—Footing and Foundations 114 as shown in FIG. 6. The user102 is required to answer the series of questions provided including,for example, inputting the square footage of concrete footing andfoundation with visible cracks or chips that require repair along with apriority rating of the need to address the system within a particulartime frame. A Comments Section is also provided allowing the user 102 toprovide comments as necessary in the evaluation and for future use.

It is contemplated that a comprehensive series of questions relating tovarious facilities and/or building systems may be presented to the user102. The Figures list just some of the many various categories ofsystems that may be queried and include, but are not limited to thefollowing:

Section: 3.0 Basement Walls (FIG. 8)

Section: 4.0 Floor and Roof Deck Construction (FIG. 8)

Section: 5.0 Exterior Walls (FIG. 9)

Section: 6.0 Exterior Windows (FIG. 10)

Section: 7.0 Exterior Doors (FIG. 11)

Section: 8.0 Roofing (FIG. 12)

Section: 9.0 Interior Doors (FIG. 13)

Section: 10.0 Stair Finishes (FIG. 14)

Section: 11.0 Interior Wall Finishes (FIG. 15)

Section: 12.0 Interior Floor Finishes (FIG. 16)

Section: 13.0 Ceiling Finishes (FIG. 17)

Section: 14.0 Elevators (FIG. 18)

Section: 15.0 Plumbing Fixtures (FIG. 19)

Section: 16.0 Domestic Water Distribution (FIG. 20)

Section: 17.0 Sanitary Waste (FIG. 21)

Section: 18.0 Storm Water System (FIG. 22)

Section: 19.0 Boilers/Furnaces (FIG. 23)

Section: 20.0 Chiller, Condensing Units (FIGS. 24 & 24A)

Section: 21.0 Cooling Towers (FIGS. 25 & 25A)

Section: 22.0 HVAC Piping (FIG. 26)

Section: 23.0 Circulation Pumps (FIG. 27)

Section: 24.0 Ductwork and Terminal Devices (FIG. 28)

Section: 25.0 Temperature Control (FIG. 29)

Section: 26.0 Air Handling Units (FIG. 30)

Section: 27.0 Ventilation Systems (FIG. 31)

Section: 28.0 Sprinklers and Standpipes (FIG. 32)

Section: 29.0 Electrical Service (FIG. 33)

Section: 30.0 Electrical Distribution (FIGS. 34 & 34A)

Section: 31.0 Lighting and Power (FIGS. 35 & 35A)

Section: 32.0 Fire Alarm System (FIG. 36)

Section: 33.0 Emergency Light and Power (FIG. 37)

It is contemplated that the series of questions relating to variousfacilities and/or building systems as listed above may be stored infacilities system storage 106 and assessable by system 100 forpresentation to user 102. User 102 then answers some or all of theseries of questions generating the survey data that may be stored, forexample, on user data storage 108.

It should be noted that, while various functions, methods and/orquestions have been described and presented in a sequence of steps, thesequence has been provided merely as an illustration of one advantageousembodiment, and that it is not necessary to perform these functions inthe specific order illustrated. It is further contemplated that any ofthese steps may be moved and/or combined relative to any of the othersteps. In addition, it is still further contemplated that it may beadvantageous, depending upon the application, to utilize all or anyportion of the functions described herein.

Additionally, it is contemplated that facility data is also generatedand stored, for example, on facilities system storage 106. The facilitydata may comprise, for example, cost data associated with repair and orreplacement of a particular system. The associated costs could alsoaccount for the geographic location of the facilities as labor costs areknown to vary from one geographic location to the next. Still further,the associated costs could be updated in the system on a periodic basis.The associated costs could take into consideration the time frame withinwhich the work is to be accomplished and also the time of year.

In this manner, the system 100 is able to take into account thefollowing: 1) initial information submitted by the user 102 relating to,for example, an identification of the type of system, manufacturer,model, quantity in the building and previous condition; 2) survey datasubmitted by the user 102 comprising responses to the questions andcomments submitted; and 3) facilities data associated with the series ofquestions providing for the cost associated with repair and orreplacement of a particular system. In this manner, the user 102 is ableto generate a relatively complete and accurate report 110 despite havinglimited knowledge of the facility or the systems associated with thefacility.

The system 100 may be used with many differing types of facilitieshaving one or more locations and one or more buildings on each location,in a preferred embodiment the system used for facilities havingbuildings with at least a minimum of 1,000,000 aggregated square feet.For example, this could include a single building comprising 1,000,000square feet or multiple buildings that when aggregated comprise1,000,000 square feet. For example, it has been determined that thelarger the facility and subsequently that larger and/or more numerousthe associated system(s), the ability of the system 100 to generate amore accurate cost estimate increases.

It is still further contemplated that that the report 110 can be fullycustomized and presented to the user 102 in a desired format.

While Sections 3.0-33.0 are provided above as examples of various systemcategories that may be presented to the user, it should be understoodthat additional categories may be used. Additionally, the system iscustomizable such that, the user may select only certain categories ofquestions to be presented to the user allowing the user to target onlycertain systems or subsystems. Still further, it is contemplated thatonce initial building information is entered into the system, the usermay decide to generate a report at a later date, for example, a yearlater. In this example, the user may select only certain categories offor providing information (or updated information). This allows for atargeted approach to the generation of the facilities report requiringless time of the user to generate it, while still providing a highlyaccurate facilities report.

The system, may in one advantageous embodiment, automatically import orpopulate the existing facilities data to into a report that providescurrent information to the user (e.g., adjusted FCI, etc.) based on thecurrent date. In this manner, the user can either, enter new informationrelating to facility or provided updated information for over-writingthe existing facility data. In either case, the user is provided withincreased customizability for the facilities report. Also, the user isable to use existing information that was previously entered into thesystem to generate a current report on the facility.

Referring to FIG. 38, an example of a Requirement List Report isprovided as report 110. The report describes the work to be done asRequirement Name, a Requirement ID is provided, an identification of thesystem involved is provided described as Prime System, a priority isassigned to the project, systems linked to the prime system areidentified, an action date is provided along with a finish date, and anestimated cost is provided. The Requirement List report can take intoconsideration some or all of the information listed above including theinitial information, the survey data and facilities data associated withthe series of questions and survey data. In this manner, the user 102 isprovided with an accurate and comprehensive report 110 despite havinglimited knowledge of the existing systems or the facility.

In this manner, the system 100 that generates the report 110 providesfor the ability to set up workflows and assign approval rights. Forexample, a user 102 may input the survey data to generate the report 110as illustrated in FIG. 38. Another individual may have access to thereport 110 for review and/or editing or modification. Various approvalrights can be set up to allow for approval to the work identified in thereport and for the management of the workflow. The system 100 is fullycustomizable to accommodate all of these options for the user(s).

Referring to FIG. 39, an example of an Asset List Report is provided asreport 110. The Asset List Report includes, for example, a Real PropertyID, an asset type, an asset use, a Replacement Value, an assetUtilization and an FCI. This report 110, allows for streamlining of thebudgeting process and optimization of lifecycle planning.

Referring to FIG. 40, an example of a Funding/FCI Graph is provided asreport 110. The graph illustrates funding over time versus the FCIillustrating how the selected funding can affect the FCI. Again, thisreport ensures accuracy with industry standards, allows for projectingthe impact of different levels of spending and allows for the use ofindustry standard benchmarks.

In addition to the above-mentioned reports, it is contemplated that theuser 102 could provide a survey designed to meet a federal mandate.Still further, the report 110 could provide information to user 102relating to an existing condition in a facility, such as for example,but not limited to, identification of hazardous materials that mayreside in the facility. Alternatively, the report 110 may provideinformation relating to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)compliance, life and safety issues and/or energy efficiency. The system100 is very versatile allowing for fully customization to meet theuser's 102 needs.

Referring back now to FIG. 1, it is still further contemplated that aprofessional 104 may access system 100 to review the survey datasubmitted by user 102 and in particular, review any comments submittedby user 102. This provides the ability to provide a report 110 that isstill further refined providing highly accurate information for capitaland budget planning.

It should be noted that some of the Figures (e.g. 6-37) provide for a“glossary” of information to assist the user in ascertaining the type ofsystem in the facility. For example, the user may be provided with aquestion relating to the windows in the facility as described inconnection with FIG. 10 under the section Exterior Windows. To furtheraide the user in providing accurate information relating to thefacility, the user could access the “See the Glossary” link provided onthe page where a number of differing types of windows are described andphotographs may be presented. The user is then further aided in selectedthe correct type of window currently used in the facility to ensureincreased accuracy of the report.

FIGS. 41 and 42 depict real-time Cost and FCI Calculations. For example,as a user is presented with series of questions and provides inputinformation relating to action to be taken, the system provides arunning Action Cost 200 that indicates to the user the cost associatedwith the action selected by the user. This provides the user withimmediate, real time information relating to the decisions made by theuser. Also provided is Survey Cost 202, which provides the user with arunning total of the action costs. This again, provides the user withimmediate, real time information as the user makes decisions.

If, for example, the user decides, based on a presented Action Cost 200for a particular action selected, that he/she does not want to proceedwith the selected action, the user can then reverse the selection. Inthis case, the Survey Cost 202 will be adjusted accordingly.

Also shown in FIGS. 41 and 42 is Survey FCI 206, which indicates to theuser how the selected action will impact the FCI of the particularfacility associated with the action. As stated previously, this isanother tool that allows for immediate, real time information to bepresented to the user so the user can see how each decision impacts, notonly the cost of the project(s), but also the FCI of the facility.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particulararrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended toexhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many othermodifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill inthe art.

1. A method for generating a facilities report where facilities data isassociated with a series of questions relating to various facilitiessystems and stored on a storage coupled to a system computer, the methodcomprises the steps of: presenting the series of questions to a useraccessing a user computer coupled to the system computer via a networkconnection; receiving survey data from the user, the survey data basedon the user's responses to the series of questions; selecting facilitydata based on the survey data received from the user; generating afacilities report based on the survey data and the selected facilitydata.
 2. The method for generating a facilities report according toclaim 1 wherein the facilities data includes cost data.
 3. The methodfor generating a facilities report according to claim 2 wherein the costdata includes an action cost that is an estimated cost associated withperforming a particular action with respect to a particular system. 4.The method for generating a facilities report according to claim 3wherein the action cost is generated in real-time such that the user cansee the cost associated with each action selected by the user.
 5. Themethod for generating a facilities report according to claim 4 furthercomprising the step of reversing an action selection and the action costis updated according to the reversal of the action selection.
 6. Themethod for generating a facilities report according to claim 3 whereinthe cost data includes a survey cost that is a running total of theaction costs.
 7. The method for generating a facilities report accordingto claim 3 wherein an FCI of a property is generated in real-time suchthat the user is presented with the FCI impact on a property with eachaction selected by the user.
 8. The method for generating a facilitiesreport according to claim 1 wherein the generated facilities reportcomprises an asset report based upon the facilities data, the assetreport including a listing selected from the group consisting of: aproperty identification, a property type, a property use, a replacementvalue for the property, a utilization of the property, the FCI of theproperty and combinations thereof.
 9. The method for generating afacilities report according to claim 1 further comprising the step ofpresenting to the user, categories corresponding to particular series ofquestions, wherein upon selection of particular categories, the userwill only be presented with series of questions corresponding to theselected categories.
 10. The method for generating a facilities reportaccording to claim 9 wherein existing facility data is automaticallypopulated into the facilities report for the series of questionscorresponding to the categories not selected by the user.
 11. The methodfor generating a facilities report according to claim 1 furthercomprising the step of over-writing existing facility data with newfacility data received from the user based upon the user's responses tothe series of questions.
 12. The method for generating a facilitiesreport according to claim 1 wherein the series of questions arepresented to the user via a webpage.
 13. The method for generating afacilities report according to claim 1 wherein the user computercomprises a mobile device.
 14. The method for generating a facilitiesreport according to claim 1 wherein the facilities data includes lifecycle data.
 15. A system for generating a facilities report comprising:a system computer; a user computer coupled to said system computer via anetwork connection; a facilities data storage accessible by said systemcomputer; said facilities data storage having stored thereon facilitiesdata associated with a series of questions relating to variousfacilities systems; said series of questions presented to the user;survey data received by said system computer and stored on saidfacilities data storage, said survey data corresponding to the user'sresponses to the series of questions; a facilities report generated bysaid system computer, said facilities report generated based on thereceived survey data and on certain facilities data corresponding to thereceived survey data.
 16. The system according to claim 15 wherein thefacilities data includes cost data.
 17. The system according to claim 16wherein the cost data includes an action cost that is an estimated costassociated with performing a particular action with respect to aparticular system.
 18. The system according to claim 15 wherein theaction cost is generated in real-time such that the user can see thecost associated with each action selected by the user.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 15 wherein the cost data includes a survey cost thatis a running total of the action costs.
 20. The system according toclaim 15 wherein an FCI of a property is generated in real-time suchthat the user is presented with the FCI impact on a property with eachaction selected by the user.
 21. The system according to claim 15further comprising categories corresponding to particular series ofquestions, wherein the user selects certain categories and the user willonly be presented with series of questions corresponding to the selectedcategories.
 22. The system according to claim 21 wherein existingfacility data is automatically populated into the facilities report forthe series of questions corresponding to the categories not selected bythe user.
 23. The system according to claim 15 wherein existing facilitydata is over-written with new facility data received from the user basedupon the user's responses to the series of questions.
 24. The systemaccording to claim 15 wherein said user computer comprises a mobiledevice.
 25. The system according to claim 15 wherein the facilities dataincludes life cycle data.